Adjustable caster



G. F. VAN METER.

ADJUSTABLE CASTER.

APPLICATION FILED ms. 10, 1920.

1,345,294. Patented June 29, 1920.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS:

UNITED STATES GEORGE E. VAN METER, 0E INnIANAro'LIs, INDIANA.

ADJUSTABLE CASTER. 5

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11116 29, 1920.

Application filed. February 10, 1920. Serial No. 357,519.

T 0 all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. VAN METER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Casters, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to adjustable casters for furniture and the like, and it contemplates the provision in a caster of means whereby the article of furniture to which the caster is applied may be quickly and easily raised or lowered with but a small amount of effort on the part of a person practising theinvention.

The device is materially advantageous in connection with phonograph cabinets where it is sometimes necessary to elevate or lower one or more of the legs of the cabinet due to the unevenness of the floor so as to increase the effectiveness of the record or disk that is to be reproduced on said cabinet.

The invention in all of its details will be fully understood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connection with the drawings, ac-

- companying and forming part of this-specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating my novel caster as applied to one leg of a piece of furniture.

Fig. 2 is a sectionalview of Fig. 1.- 3

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the caster and showing the stem or shank thereof in section; e

Fig. 4 is detail view of lock.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the-views of the drawings. V

To the leg 1, of a piece of furniture, I attach the caster illustrated that is of the well-known construction and is provided with the stem or shank 3 that is threaded as shown at 4 and is provided at its lower end with the yoke 2 to which a roller'or wheel 5 is secured.

The stem or shank is provided with a longitudinal channel 9 that extends by preference throughout the length of the threads 4: of the shank.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the shank 3 has a bearing 6 on which the furniture leg and its appurtenances rest at all times. t

The bearing 6 is cup-shaped as illustrated,

my novel ratchet andis provided with the wall 7 that extends around the'outside of the bearing and said bearing is further provided with the downwardly extending inner wall 8' that is threaded on its interior bore to engage the threads 4 of the stem 3, which permits of rotation of the bearing 6 about said stem 3.

The wall 8 of the bearing 6 is provided with an opening or guideway that registers with the slot 9 of the stem 3, and secured to the underside of the bearing 6 by the pin 15 is a detent 10 having the pin 11 that normally rests'in the guideway .of the wall 8 and slot 9 as shown in Fig. 3. The said dent 10 has the finger portion 13 and curved around end portion 14 and directly .in rear of the pin 11 I provide a pin 12 that is surrounded by a spring 12. This pin rests at all times within a small opening in the wall 7 Provided at intervals throughout the circumference of the wall 7 are large apertures 7 for an important purpose, herein-- after set forth.

The wall 7 is also provided with an elon: gated slot 7* whereby, the finger-piece 13 may protrude from under the bearing. 6.

At 13 I illustrate the well-known spring socket for preventing casual displacement of the caster from the cabinet and I deem it unnecessary to enter into a detail description of the same as it forms no part of my presentinvention. I

In the practical use of the caster, when it is desired to'rotate the bearing 6 with respect to the stem 3, it is simply necessary to displace the pin 11 from the slot 9 by' well to state that the finger piece will assist in turning the bearing on the stem 3; by reason of the finger-piece contacting with the sides of the elongated slot 7 of the wall 7. Because of the spring 12 the pin 11 will be forced into the slot 9 when the same is in position to receive the pin. However, the slot of the wall 7 will act as a guideway and keeper for the pin 11 at all times.

When it is desired, the hand lever 7- may be used in lieu of the finger piece 13 and when said lever is employed, it is inserted in one hole 7", preferably the one directly below or opposite the finger piece 13 and then said lever is moved inwardly with the result that the portion 14 of the detent will be forced inwardly and the pin 11 displaced from the slot 9 of the stem 3.

Manifestly, the lever may be moved either to the right or left 'to raise or lower the bearing 6, according to the wishes of the operator. By use of this lever, a very heavy article of furniture such for instance as a pool table or the like may be .elevated orv lowered with a very small amount of effort. The-device as-a whole as very inexpensive to produce'and simple to apply and operate and by it use a frail person may easily lift a very heavy :article of furniture.

It ":will be *seen by reference to the drawings that the bearing 6 isconeshaped and hence the small endof the cone will extend into the lower end of the socket 13' to protect ithe threads of the stem 3 of 'the caster.

'This cone-shaped bearing also isa good substitute for a roller or ball bearing such as are now in use.

said. wall that normally registers with the p slot of "the stem, an outer-depending wall arranged on the bearing, :a detent secured 5 to the under side of the bearing, a pin that V rests in the -guide-way of the bearing :and

extends :at times into {the :slot of the stem,

a finger piece formed at' one end of the dc- V tent and-a curved arm formed at the opposite end of the ratchet, a pin formed in rear ofgthe first pinof the ratchet, aspring surrounding the pin, and apertures formed in the outer depending wall of the bearing for receiving the last-named pin, an elongated slot that receives the finger piece of the detent, apertures formed in the outer-depending portions of the bearing and a hand lever that enters one of the said a ertures and bears on the lower round end o the detent for forcing said end inwardly.

"2. In a caster, the combination of a shank a channel insa-id shank, a bearing threaded on the shank, and having an inner and outer wall, the inner wall being provided with a guide-way, and the outer wall being provided with an elongated slot, a small opening formed in the outer wall, larger openings'also formed in the outer wall and a detent having an arm that normally rests in the slot of the stem and having a second arm that normallygrests in the small opening of the outer wall, and a lever that enters one of the large .:openings of the outer wall and bears on one end of the detent.

3. In means for raising and lowering furniture and the like the combination of a socket, ashank adaptedto be inserted 'in the socket, :a roller arranged on one end of the shank, a slot formed longitudinally of the shank, a bearing mounted on and movable independently of the shank, a detent secured to the underside of the bean, ing; said detent comprisingla rounded end,

a finger-piece formed at the opposite end of the detent, a pin formed in one side of the detent and adapted .to rest in the slot of the shank, and a second pin formed in rear of the first na med spin and means formed about the last-named pin for retaining the first-named pin in the slot of the shank. e I

'4. In means for the punpose set forth,

the combination of a caster, a slot'formed' in the shank of the caster, a bearing'mounted on the shank a detent secured to'the under side of the bearing-and having a proj ection that enters the slot of the shank, a second projection formed on'thedetent that bears in an opening of the bearing, 'an

aperture formed in the bearing and a hand 7 lever that enters said aperture and bears on one endiof the detent whereby upward and downward movement of the bearing with respect to the shank may brought about.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 7 my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

YWitnesses: i JOHN F. DREGMAN, iO'rro W. KnnHnMA-NN.

GEORGE VF. VAN METERE V, 

